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Ms. Josée Duffhues (BA 1986, MA 1989)

“Before university, I was a follower and swallower of ideas. The years [in UW’s English programs] taught me to respect my own thoughts and ideas.”

      Ms Josée Duffhues’s (BA 1985, MA 1989) experiences as a student at UW were both exhausting and fulfilling. On top of her studies, she edited the English Department’s newsletter and wrote creatively (some of her works were published in The New Quarterly, a literary magazine based in St. Jerome’s University College). Although these years were busy, they were “the finest years of my life in large part due to the wonderful professors.” Josée fondly recalls Dr. Gordon Slethaug and Dr. Paul Beam as fantastic lecturers who were able to get you excited about what they were teaching. Because she was a mature student, Josée felt that she was better able to argue with the professors than some of her younger classmates. She found it exciting to have her opinions taken seriously. Many nights “I would go to sleep and wake up thinking the same thing. My brain was working 24/7 and it was glorious!”

      At a writer’s forum, Josée recalls reading one of her works to a relatively large audience. She was so nervous that her knees were knocking. Afterwards, she asked Professor W.K. Thomas how he became such a great speaker in the classroom. He advised her to take drama courses and learn how to act, which would help her use her fear to her advantage. This advice did in fact help her become a better public speaker.

      A variety of co-op employers hired Josée, including CKCO TV, where she worked as a news writer, and UW, where she worked as a Science Writer in the Information Services Department. Although the television industry did not really suit her, she learned many useful skills at CKCO that she later applied while pursuing her Master’s degree. As a Science Writer, she read articles and explored research that was being conducted on campus. From both of these co-op experiences, “I learned how to analyze language, what people were saying, and what was between the lines.” Josée applied this ability to all the forms of communication that she undertook in her professional life, including lectures, conversations, and news.

      During her senior year, Josée recalls writing an honours thesis, which helped her decide to continue her studies and eventually earn a Master’s degree. At the time, she was the assistant director for the play The Normal Heart, which influenced the topic she chose for Her Master’s thesis, the portrayal of AIDS in Canadian medical media. Her thesis influenced the jobs she pursued after graduation, when she was hired to teach the Public Speaking course in the Speech Communications Department at UW. She then worked for the Waterloo Regional Health Unit, served as a board member for the Ontario Palliative Care Association and AQUA (an AIDS program in KW), volunteered at the Casey House Hospice, and set up and headed a public health AIDS program.

      Despite enjoying her work immensely, Josée eventually found it overwhelming and longed for a slower-paced life, so she and her husband moved to Vancouver where they opened a studio, JoVic Pottery. She is now a full-time potter and artist and a part-time teacher at a local First Nations high school, where she teaches a variety of subjects including biology, math and visual arts.

      Having been an English student at UW gave Josée tremendous self-confidence in her communication skills and allowed her to become a thinker. “Before university, I was a follower and swallower of ideas. The years there taught me to respect my own thoughts and ideas.”